Magic Dirt return to the place it all began when they appear at the Barwon Club as part of their national tour celebrating the 25th anniversary reissue of lauded album Young and Full of the Devil.
Young and Full of the Devil was Magic Dirt’s second album but the first with guitarist Raul Sanchez, who joined vocalist/guitarist Adalita Srsen, bassist Dean Turner and drummer Adam Robertson after the departure of guitarist Dave Thomas.
Sanchez said joining the band was “absolutely just being at the right place at the right time”.
Following the final gig of Sanchez’s band Muffcake in 1997, the guitarist dropped into a Magic Dirt gig before heading to the Muffcake after-party.
“We went to see Magic Dirt and we ended up bringing Adalita back to the after-party, and from there we became friends,” he said.
“A few months later I got a phone call. They were like, hey, Dave is no longer in the band, do you reckon you can learn a set in a week? We got gigs.”
From there followed seven records, multiple overseas tours, TV and radio appearances and numerous festival circuit gigs.
“It was a dream come true,” Sanchez said.
“I was touring around not just Australia but the world. We were loving it. There were ups and downs, as with everything, but overall we were a tight unit.
“We knew what we wanted to do and we were just doing it. It felt amazing.”
With Turner’s untimely death in 2009 to a rare form of tissue cancer, the band didn’t break up but experienced a lengthy hiatus that lasted till 2018.
In February that year Magic Dirt played a surprise set at the Barwon Club, a place the band have a long history with, and have continued gigging ever since.
Sanchez said he couldn’t wait to play the venue again this month.
“It feels like coming home,” he said.
“The Barwon Club is an institution of rock and roll in Geelong, if not in Victoria and Australia’s rock and roll history.
“Playing there is a privilege and an honour, albeit one full of blood, sweat and tears, spit and many beers.”
Magic Dirt are at the Barwon Club on Friday, September 22 supported by Moler and Green Blanket.
